The CPI(M) central leadership and comrade Prakash Karat overstretched the party line on the ?third alternative? and set an ?unrealistic? goal of the formation of an alternative government, the party?s Central Committee has concluded. Under fire, Karat on Monday admitted that talk about formation of a Third Front government was a mistake, but refused to be the only one to take the blame.
Perhaps for the first time, Karat also accepted that there were differences in the party over withdrawal of support to the UPA government and its timing although the decision to break ties over the nuclear deal has been endorsed as ?correct? by the Central Committee, which met over the weekend to review the election debacle.
The party line, as enunciated by the 19th Party Congress and the January meeting of the Central Committee, was to build a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative. The overwhelming view was that the leadership overstepped this line and talked about forming a third front government on the basis of alliances in just four states, which lacked ?credibility?.
?We should not have extended it (the party line for building a third alternative) to a call for formation of a government,? Karat said. ?In the absence of a countrywide alliance and no common policy platform being presented, the call for an alternative government was unrealistic,? the Central Committee concluded.
Although the Central Committee was of the view that withdrawal of support to the UPA on the nuclear deal was ?correct?, Karat indicated that there were differences over the decision. ?On the withdrawal of support, there is near unanimity in our party. On the question of timing, earlier also there was a discussion that we should have done it (support withdrawal) earlier,? Karat said.